We wish a huge congratulations to OP Hannah Gowland (Clifton 2022), who has recently received three offers to read medicine, at Hull York Medical School, Sunderland University and Newcastle University, two years after having left school.
Hannah’s story is one of perseverance and embodies the phrase ‘Never Give Up.’
As a pupil here, Hannah had always planned to do medicine. With an interest in science, she decided to study Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level, as well as Art in the Lower Sixth. Throughout her course, Hannah struggled the most with Maths, but knew she needed 3 As in order to get into medical school. In addition to her grades, she needed to sit the UCAT, which is a notoriously difficult exam, and so Hannah looked at schools which would take a lower score.
Unfortunately, she was rejected by all of her choices before sitting her A Levels and before reaching an interview stage. She was offered a place on the Biomedical Science course at Liverpool University but didn’t feel like it was the right option at the time.
After taking her exams, Hannah received her 3 A grades and decided to take on a gap year to work and reapply. In this time, she worked as a carer in a home for the elderly with dementia, and learnt a lot of important skills. She enjoyed her job here, despite it being physically and mentally exhausting and eventually began working as a waitress, before deciding to travel in February last year. Alongside travelling, Hannah continued to apply and retake the UCAT. Her score was considerably better, but she still received four rejections before reaching interview stage.
Hannah believes that nailing the UCAT exam is the way into a medical course at university. The personal statement and grades which are crucial to other course applications do not hold as much weight, and only the top scorers of the UCAT will be invited to interview. As a result, how well you do on the UCAT is crucial.
Another route, however, can be to transfer from a Biomedical Science course. Hannah began researching courses that would suit her and was accepted to study at Newcastle University. On this particular course, an average score of 75% must be maintained, and there is a chance to transfer onto the Medicine course. On a difficult course, an average of 75% is a tricky feat, and so Hannah decided to look at the re-applying option. With help from Mrs Wishart in the St Peter’s Career Department, Hannah learned there were some courses which she could apply to. With third time being the charm, Hannah re-sat the UCAT and applied to Hull York Medical School, Sunderland University, Leicester University and Nottingham University.
Hard work and effort rewarded, Hannah received unconditional offers from HYMS and Sunderland, and more recently, a conditional offer to transfer to the Newcastle University course.
Hannah’s next steps will be to decide which offer to accept. Since Newcastle is an internal offer, she can accept this and one UCAS offer. She visited an offer holder day in Sunderland and enjoyed that it was close to Newcastle and her friends. The course is new and would be a smaller cohort.
Hull York Medical School is her other option, with a really good course, but would mean moving back home to York and losing the sense of independence she has built at university so far.
Since she loves the city and believes she can keep up her average of 75%, Newcastle remains Hannah’s first choice, with HYMS (a higher-ranking medical school) a close second.
Hannah is now a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Had she been successful in her first application, she would have never travelled, worked or learned as much as she has done. She thinks that as long as you want something enough, it is possible. It is so hard to follow a career in medicine, but Hannah’s dream was always to become a doctor. From loving science from a young age, to feeling rewarded at her job during her gap year, Hannah knew it was the path for her. The Biomed course, whilst enjoyable, has been lacking the practical, hands-on aspect which Hannah yearns for in her learning and career. She is excited about being able to make a difference in someone’s life, by treating them with kindness and compassion when they are in a vulnerable position – a skill she nurtured when working as a carer.
Hannah’s advice to anyone who is applying is to look at other options and routes into medical school. Only a few people are accepted directly through the traditional route first time, but that shouldn’t deter you from trying again. If Hannah had not received her offers now, she thinks she still would have finished her biomed course and tried to do medicine again at a post-grad level. Don’t give up!
Hannah’s story is one of tenacity and highlights just how important it is to keep trying to succeed. Her positivity throughout is a real testament to her determination and represents our St Peter’s values perfectly. We wish her the best of luck and look forward to seeing which school she chooses.
